Shut the Box - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Shut the Box, also called Tric-Trac, Canoga, Klackers, Zoltan Box, Batten Down the Hatches, or High Rollers, is a game of dice for one or more players, commonly played in a group of two to four for stakes

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

. Traditionally, a counting box is used with tiles numbered 1 to 9 where each can be covered with a hinged or sliding mechanism. Alternatively, it can be played with a sheet of paper. Variations exist where the box has up to 10 or 12 tiles.

Play

During each round, a player repeatedly throws the dice to "cover the tiles" of the box. The round ends when no tile can be covered on a throw and the player counts each successfully covered number as a point for his score. If, for example you "put down" the numbers 3, 5, and 9, you get three points. The goal is to cover all numbers, that is, "shut the box", which finishes that game. Play continues until each player has completed three rounds, at which time scores are compared and a winner is declared.

Rules

All the numbers are visible. Two dice are rolled. The total is calculated, and a combination of tiles equaling the total are "covered" (turned down or otherwise hidden from view). For example, if the dice show a 2 and a 3, for a total of 5, any of the following tiles could be covered: 1 and 4, 2 and 3, or the 5 tile alone. If every numbered tile higher than 6 is covered, then usually only one die is used (you have the option of using one or both). The turn ends if no tile could be covered on a throw of the dice. If one die falls out of the roll area, you must reroll both dice.

Game Variants

In recent years, variations of the game have developed due to its growing popularity.

The following are examples of known variations in play, setup, and scoring:

"Missionary" - The standard game with numbers 1 to 9 up
"2 to go" - Standard game, numbers 1 to 9 up, on the first roll, the number 2 has to be dropped. If you roll 4 on your first roll, you lose.
"3 down extreme" - numbers 1, 2 and 3 are pre dropped, leaving numbers 4 to 9 up.
"3 to go" - The same as 2 to go but the number 3 must be dropped.
"Lucky number 7" - The only number up is 7, and the first person to roll a 7 wins.
"Unlucky number 7" - A standard game, when a 7 is rolled, the game stops.
"Against all odds" - All odd numbers are up and evens down.
"Even Stevens" - All even numbers are up and odds down.
"Full house" - 12 numbers are up.
"The 300" - 2 boxes and 4 dice are used, with the second box representing numbers 13 - 24. (24+23+22...2+1 = 300)
"Golf" - A player's score is the sum of the numbers remaining uncovered at the end of his turn. The player with the lowest score wins.
"Tournament" - Rounds are played with the "Golf" scoring method until a player reaches or exceeds a grand total of 100 points, at which time the player with the lowest point total is declared to be the winner.
"Thai style" - Always roll two dice, but only cover one tile matching one of the dice or their sum. For example, if the dice show a 2 and a 3 you may cover one of 2, 3 and 5.
"Digital" - A player's score at the end of the turn is the number obtained by reading the up digits as a decimal number from left to right. For example, if 1, 2, and 5 are left up the score is 125. This is also known as "Say what you see", a reference to Roy Walker
Roy Walker
Robert "Roy" Walker is a television personality and comedian from Northern Ireland, who worked for many years as both a television presenter and comedy actor...

's catchphrase from the TV gameshow Catchphrase.

History

The origin is not known but there exist references from at least as long ago as the 12th century to the game being played in Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

(northern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

) or the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

(English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

). Others also mention fur trappers from the Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

. The game grew popular among sailors and fishermen.

Evidence of the game exists in England from the middle of the 20th century, but it is possible that it did not originate there. Timothy Finn writes in Pub Games of England that it came from the Channel Islands in 1958 with a Mr. 'Chalky' Towbridge. It is said that versions have also been played in Barotseland (Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

, central Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

). The game is also popular in the beer bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

s of Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

using special rules.

Shut the Box is also the basis of the popular TV quiz show High Rollers
High Rollers
High Rollers is an American television game show based on the dice game Shut the Box. The show aired on NBC from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran...

, which ran from 1974–76 and 1978-80 on NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

with Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek

George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...

as the host. The show resurfaced from 1987 to 1988, this time hosted by Wink Martindale

Wink Martindale

Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...

External links

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